The sheer volume of difficult Jewish heritage sites in Poland compared to the relatively small size of existing Jewish communities combined with the simultaneous lack of mainstream knowledge about Jewish memorial practices and traditions result in an urgent need for a frame of reference for a growing number of memory activists in Poland.
While the immediate neighbors of these sites are usually non-Jewish, there is a need for combining the local and the Jewish perspective in developing sustainable practices of care for these sites and their commemoration.
There are some basic principles resulting from Jewish religion and tradition, as well as Jewish religious law (the Halakha) that should be respected when dealing with a site related to Jewish history and/or history of the Holocaust. We list these principles below.
1. Any site containing Jewish human remains should not be disturbed.
According to Jewish tradition and law, both the spiritual and the physical are sacred and the human body is sacred even after death. It is believed that the soul and body remain connected even after death, so if the bones are disturbed here on earth, the soul is also disturbed. It is said in Talmud: “It is forbidden to move the dead and their bones from the place where they rest.” (Jerusalem Talmud, Moed Katan 2:4).
In principle, exhumations are not allowed in Judaism except for very rare and specific cases. In practice this means that no digging, construction works, invasive archaeological research or even some type of maintenance work should be carried out in sites containing human remains.
In the case of Poland, any kind of activity in these sites that risk disturbing the ground must be consulted with the Rabbinical Commission for Jewish cemeteries before work can begin. Also, in the case of Poland, civil society actors such as the Zapomniane Foundation can provide further guidance and assistance.
In principle, one should not walk on graves. However, this rule is only possible to follow when it is known where a grave or burial zone is situated. Unintentionally stepping on an unmarked grave is not considered inappropriate. This is a primary reason why the marking of Jewish graves and their boundaries are so important.
2. A Jewish cemetery once established, remains a Jewish cemetery forever, even if there are no tombstones.
In Jewish tradition there is no such thing as a “former Jewish cemetery”. This means that even if an area where a Jewish cemetery was turned into a park or was built over and there are still human remains in the ground, the site should still be called a Jewish cemetery and treated as one. There are between 1200 – 1400 Jewish cemeteries on the territory of contemporary Poland – many of them deprived of any visible signs above the ground (fence, tombstones, gate, etc), yet the regulations of the Jewish religious law apply to them in the same manner.
The instructions of the Rabbinical Commission for Jewish cemeteries of Poland (RCC) apply equally to both fenced and marked cemeteries, as well as those whose boundaries have not yet been recreated in the field.
3. From the point of view of Jewish tradition, the most important thing is to ensure the peace of the deceased and the integrity of their burials.
Therefore, all work carried out on cemeteries, including projects related to the reconstruction of their historical boundaries, should take into account these priorities.
It should also be noted that if a cemetery was deprived of any visible signs above the ground, one of the possible forms of protection of their burial zone is to change the development of the area into a “green area” (e.g. a park or a square) along with publicly accessible information that the given area is a cemetery so that there is no doubt that this area should not be used for recreational purposes.
4. Marking the boundaries of a cemetery and/or a grave is of central importance from the perspective of Jewish religious law. While putting up a memorial is a sign of respect, it should not take precedence over marking up the site but rather complement it. If the location of the burial zone or/and a grave is unclear, while putting up a memorial it should be made clear that it is not a tombstone to avoid suggesting the false location of a burial.
5. According to Jewish tradition, Jewish tombstones (plural: matzevot) belong to the dead. If a matzevah (singular form) is found outside the cemetery, it should be returned to the cemetery from which it came. If it is not clear which cemetery it belongs to, it should be returned to the nearest Jewish cemetery. See Instruction for the Return of the Matzevah (in Polish)
6. If there are fallen or partly destroyed matzevot on the Jewish cemetery it is not allowed to arrange them in a way that imitates their original position, i.e. suggesting that they are standing on the actual, original burial place. The Rabbinical Commission for Jewish cemeteries of Poland (RCC) recommends that the optimal solution in such a case is to create a lapidarium integrated with the existing fence or close to it. Matzevot should be installed in such a way that their inscriptions remain visible. In the case of Poland, the exact location of the lapidarium or other form of exhibition of tombstones should be agreed to with the RCC.
7. In Poland, in principle, it is not allowed to dig up, lift or reposition gravestones that have fallen over, became overgrown, or that have been absorbed into the ground unless advised so and supervised by RCC or Jewish community representatives. According to Jewish tradition and religion, the priority is to protect the remains of the dead, not the tombstones. Therefore, any activities that may damage the bones beneath the surface of the earth are prohibited, even if they are intended to protect the tombstone and its inscriptions.
8. Putting small stones on graves is part of Jewish tradition. It is a sign of memory and it is considered a contribution to marking the site of the grave. There are certain false suppositions about other objects that can be left on Jewish tombstones – while it is allowed to bring flowers and light candles in Jewish cemeteries, it is not customary and placing coins or other valuables is not appropriate and can be offensive to Jewish people visiting the site.
9. Former synagogue buildings, prayer houses and ritual baths (mikvaot), if they lost their primary function to serve the Jewish community, can hold other functions as long as these are not disrespectful to the history of the place. It is recommended that these types of Jewish heritage sites serve educational, cultural, or community purposes and that any elements of cultural heritage in or on these structures, such as polychromes, furniture, and any architectural elements should be protected and preserved. Bear in mind that the central architectural part of a synagogue is the Aron Hakodesh, a wooden cupboard that houses the Torah scrolls. It is typically located on the wall facing East to indicate Jerusalem. Many synagogues have niches in which Aron Hakodesh were located and they still serve as valuable spatial indicators to the former function of the buildings and they should be considered an essential part of the cultural heritage of the place.
10. Torah scrolls and other religious texts in the Hebrew language (and sometimes also in vernacular language) are, according to Jewish law and tradition, to be treated with great respect. When they are damaged or worn-out they are to be buried in a Jewish cemetery or stored at a specially dedicated place at the synagogue. In both cases the location for placing these objects is called the Genizah.
11. Traces of mezuzot, a scroll of parchment inscribed with passages from the Torah and affixed in a case to the doorposts of a Jewish home, can still be found in many homes in Poland. Either still visible or hidden underlayers of paint or other materials used for renovation, they can be re-discovered and documented. Traces of mezuzot represent the intimate life of the pre-war Jewish community and are valuable cultural markings in a house or an apartment’s space. It is recommended to preserve, protect and document these traces whenever possible. These traces inspired a memory project at POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews [read more here].